Lupane Loc: Gainsville, Ga.

Buy yourself the best your money can buy, it doesn't have to be an entry level; however, whatever you decide, learn to use it well. Why buy cheap, then not so cheap, followed by expensive? Why crawl through cameras if you can afford a better camera right from the start?. In my IMHO.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

The mechanical part of photography is understanding iso, aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed and how they bring more or less light and more or less depth of field to an image.
Also you need to understand focal length (the mm description of a lens), and what different focal lengths can accomplish, in terms of area of view and magnification.

And finally, camera sensor size and how the size determines the crop factor and changes the equivalent focal length of a lens.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thanks Bob.

JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX

Two months ago I took advantage of sales at Best Buy And Costco to purchase the Nikon D7200 kit. In addition to the
18-55 and the 55-300 zoom lenses that were in the kit. I added a Nikkor 18-300 as a walk around lens. This works for
me.

Once the batteries are charged and the memory is installed, it can be used out of the box in AUTO mode until you learn
the ins and outs of the menu system and the other camera functions. Amazon has a couple of good books to help.

I am sure that Canon has a similar set up. See what is comfortable in your hand, Canon or Nikon.

Also, find a good carry system that you are comfortable with. The carry straps that come suck.

ken hubert Loc: Missouri

Apparently it takes a woman to cut through the BS and give some sound advise!
Good job, ma'am!

nacknouck

Good photographs come from the photographer, not the equipment. I did some of my best work with a point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix 5600. If you know the basic art skills (http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/5-fundamental-skills-every-artist-should-master--psd-28054), you'll get good images with a box/pin-hole camera...

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Well, this was certainly on topic . . .

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I understand "landscape" photos (I do a lot of those) but I'm not sure what you mean by "vacation" photos--are those snapshots of family in the yard or the beach, around the table indoors, riding horses or bikes in the open, or what? I do a lot of "touring" (going on planned/programmed/conducted tours) and take lots of pictures of all the places we go. That includes landscapes, both while walking around and while on a coach or train, things in dark places (inside churches, restaurants, museums, etc.), and close-ups of articles I find interesting, inside or out. My experience is that such situations do not allow for a lot of time for lens changing or other manipulations (tripods) and so I use a good "walk-around/do everything" lens, and I don't even take anything else along. I have found that the very good Nikkor 18-200VR2 zoom is an excellent choice for my needs--it can even take a pretty good flower close-up (that would normally be done with a macro lens). I started with one of Nikon's entry-level DSLRs, a D50 using that lens, and graduated to a D7000 when it came out because I found I needed better low-light capability. The D7000 died early this year and I replaced it with a D7100. My skills and needs do not at this point require a camera that is more capable. It has many more features and controls than I typically use in daily operations. I can't speak to the Canon line, but in the Nikon world, any of the D3xxx, D5xxx, or D7xxx cameras would probably serve well as entry-level DSLRs. All of them have excellent automation and learning to take good photos with them will be pretty easy. All of them have enough non-automatic controls that learning to take more control over the process is possible. The higher the number, the more expensive and more features the camera has. All of the ones I mentioned use the smaller sensor (not full-frame 35mm size), but that is not a real limitation until one progresses to more professional quality needs. (They are also smaller and lighter and much nicer to carry around.)

Go to a good store and handle the major brands. Check out the ones that you can afford and maybe err on the high side if you can. Don't be hypnotized by the megapixel count--almost any DSLR today will have enough of them for your needs right now. And I wouldn't worry about the sensor size, either. If you are planning to make enlargements of your pictures to 24"x36" or more, then maybe a full-frame camera with a lot of megapixels is your tool, but until you get to that point, don't concern yourself about it. Buy what you can afford and practice with it a lot.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I understand "landscape" photos (I do a lot of those) but I'm not sure what you mean by "vacation" photos--are those snapshots of family in the yard or the beach, around the table indoors, riding horses or bikes in the open, or what? I do a lot of "touring" (going on planned/programmed/conducted tours) and take lots of pictures of all the places we go. That includes landscapes, both while walking around and while on a coach or train, things in dark places (inside churches, restaurants, museums, etc.), and close-ups of articles I find interesting, inside or out. My experience is that such situations do not allow for a lot of time for lens changing or other manipulations (tripods) and so I use a good "walk-around/do everything" lens, and I don't even take anything else along. I have found that the very good Nikkor 18-200VR2 zoom is an excellent choice for my needs--it can even take a pretty good flower close-up (that would normally be done with a macro lens). I started with one of Nikon's entry-level DSLRs, a D50 using that lens, and graduated to a D7000 when it came out because I found I needed better low-light capability. The D7000 died early this year and I replaced it with a D7100. My skills and needs do not at this point require a camera that is more capable. It has many more features and controls than I typically use in daily operations. I can't speak to the Canon line, but in the Nikon world, any of the D3xxx, D5xxx, or D7xxx cameras would probably serve well as entry-level DSLRs. All of them have excellent automation and learning to take good photos with them will be pretty easy. All of them have enough non-automatic controls that learning to take more control over the process is possible. The higher the number, the more expensive and more features the camera has. All of the ones I mentioned use the smaller sensor (not full-frame 35mm size), but that is not a real limitation until one progresses to more professional quality needs. (They are also smaller and lighter and much nicer to carry around.)

Go to a good store and handle the major brands. Check out the ones that you can afford and maybe err on the high side if you can. Don't be hypnotized by the megapixel count--almost any DSLR today will have enough of them for your needs right now. And I wouldn't worry about the sensor size, either. If you are planning to make enlargements of your pictures to 24"x36" or more, then maybe a full-frame camera with a lot of megapixels is your tool, but until you get to that point, don't concern yourself about it. Buy what you can afford and practice with it a lot.

Zone-System-Grandpa Loc: Springfield, Ohio

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dating back to my youth and from a lifetime of experience, I have learned that it is best to purchase the best camera and the best lenses that your budget will allow. Even if you have to stretch your budget a bit, go for it because if you don't, you will forever wish that you did ! There is nothing worse than to purchase something and then sit around knowing there is something much better that you really want to have ! Hey, even if you have to hold off for awhile so as to save more money and wait to get that something that you really want to have, then do just that ! You will be glad that you did ! Another something to remember is that camera bodies are constantly changing and being upgraded with new innovative features, but just around the corner or a year later, something that's said to be new and improved replaces it ! BUT, you cannot go wrong with investing your money in the best glass that your budget will allow ! That's right, go for the best lenses that you can afford and you will never be sorry ! As far as the brand of camera to purchase, well, there are several brands that are among the very best and I am certain that you already know their names, but try to get yourself a brand name that will hold its value and it has a good trade in value.. In other words, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, Ricoh, and several others will provide images just as good as Nikon and Canon, but think about which brand will keep its value and it maintain a good trade in value too. This is where there is a difference ! If I were starting out, I would purchase a Nikon D810 body with a Nikon NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR Lens, a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens, a Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Lens, and a Sigma 180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM Lens. Except for Sigma's macro which is totally superb, all other lenses that I have listed are Nikkor lenses. You cannot go wrong !

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

From what you have said you are willing to purchase twice, maybe three times.
Remember that photography equipment can last a lifetime and by what I am seeing now may never be outdated. But I am sure there are those that would argue with me. I have lenses that are 30 years old and they still work fine today. It is the photographer and not the equipment necessarily. But you can always sell old equipment and buy new or give it away to a grandchild. They will always appreciate your gifts. I hesitated for years making the jump from film to digital but when the equipment reached a certain level I had no problem making the move. And am glad I did. I can now shoot all I want a little expense to me.
Good luck at your choices but as for me I am a Nikon man through and through.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Three pages already! I'll jump in. Canon or Nikon both offer good choices of models, and buying the entry model of either will get you good equipment. I'm on a different computer, so I can't give you my usual links, but Google offers lots of ways to compare cameras. Decide what features are important to you. snapsort.com is a good one.

https://www.google.com/search?q=camera+comparisons

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It depends.

http://thehdrimage.com/hdr-how-many-exposures-are-enough/

rrkazman

Buy the best camera your budget can stand, while the camera does not take the picture a poor camera can not be compensated for. If money is no object then any high end Nikon with matched lenses can't be beat. If you know know thing about cameras take a class at a local community collage on basic photography. It is in valuable. If money is an object then the Nikon 3xxx series, or the 5xxx series are good choices. It also has to do with what you want to do. I love to take pictures of flowers, and my grandchildren. One does not move but the other moves allot. In general less expensive digital cameras struggle with action shot. I have a D7100, it is right on the edge between pro and amateur. It was my first DSLR but I had 6 SLR's before that. My first Digital was a Coolpix 5700, This predates the DSLR, but a great digital.

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

Three words. Used. Used. Used.